Have you ever wished you only called on those people who were going to buy your product? Think about how effective you would be. To have outstanding sales you must first be able to identify the best audience. Your audience will fall into 4 categories:
Group #1 (Wayside) – They are no more ready to buy your product than fly to the moon. You already know their profile so don’t waste anytime here.
Group #2 (Stony) – This group acts interested but after you leave, they quickly lose interest. Their interest is shallow. You can recognize them on the first call because you were unable to find any real “pain” (revelation of their need). They may be nice people but will not come through with a commitment.
Group #3 (Thorny) – These prospects appear to be much more promising. They have evident needs, but are caught up in substitute solutions that drain their cash, time and energy, thereby preventing you from reaping any significant results with them.
Group #4 (Good) – This group of prospects are the ones who have genuine need, are willing to admit it, and are prepared to take action if and when a reasonable plan is offered to them.
While it is impossible to never call on someone who is in Group 1 through 3, only present your product solution to Group #4. Presenting to Groups 1 through 3 is being ineffective with your time.
To be even more effective, you can target your top twenty in Group #4. Experienced sales reps know it can take twice as long to make a thousand-dollar sale to a small sized customer than it does to make a twenty-thousand-dollar sale to a larger customer.
Exercise 1
1.1 Create a profile for each of your Groups that relate particularly to your industry.
1.2 Create a profile for the top 20 in Group #4.
1.3 Take a look at your most successful sales calls. What did they look like? What did they have in common? What was it about your product/service that they liked?
